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Memory plays an integral role in everyday life, and for a good reason. There is a lot of information people take in at any given time. Therefore, the ability to retrieve some of this information as and when needed is critical. For instance, you need memory to recall your social security number, bank account number, PIN numbers and passwords to different platforms and even past events. That said, you can only have excellent memory if you continuously challenge it and this is where brain exercises come in. Weaving the brain exercises highlighted in this article into your daily routine will help engage your memory consequently improving its capabilities.

1. Schulte Table

A Schulte table is consists of numbers randomly distributed in different cubes with the highest number placed in the center. The aim is to focus on the center number then finding the number one. Once you have located this number, proceed to locate the rest of the numbers in the table in ascending order. The trick is to fix your gaze on each number as you try to find the next number. Try to do this within the shortest time possible. If the highest number is 20, aim to complete the test in less than thirty seconds. This exercise improves the memory by increasing the speed at which the brain receives and processes information.

2. Reciting Alphabet Backwards

Reciting the alphabet from A to Z is easy, and it doesn’t require a conscious recall of the letters. The reason this is so is that the preceding letter acts as a cue for the next letter. Trying to recite the alphabet backward, however, is challenging and that is why it is considered an excellent brain exercise. This exercise engages the brain as you try hard to recall each preceding letter. To make it a bit easier, try to associate the preceding letter to the one that follows it. If you do this several times a day, you will see improvements in your memory.

3. Memorizing a Shuffled Card Deck

A card deck comprises 52 different cards. When playing a game of cards, therefore, the different cards may not appear strange at first, until you try memorizing them. Although challenging, studying and memorizing a shuffled card deck is an excellent exercise for the brain. Trying to recall the exact arrangement of the cards boosts memory considerably. It is an exercise used even by professional poker players. By studying the cards already played, they can make an educated guess what every player is holding. This helps them calculate their chances of winning a pot.

4. Memorizing Cities

There are hundreds of cities around the world and memorizing their names offer an excellent opportunity to improve your memory. Write down each country and its capital in a notebook and try to remember them. You can start with ten countries and their respective cities. Once you can recall these with ease, add another ten cities and this time try to recall all twenty cities. This exercise not only boosts your memory, but it can also improve your knowledge of global affairs.